Piano Bar

[SERK]

2 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

I know, right?

 

And the shows in the main theater are nowhere near as good as the ones on Broadway.  

 

And don't get me started on how the bands at the Red Frog Pub don't sound exactly like the artists they are covering.

 

To be fair, RCCL does have Cats broadway on their ships. 🙂

[staceyglow]

Just now, SERK said:

To be fair, RCCL does have Cats broadway on their ships. 🙂

Do the have all the sets, musicians and actors from the Broadway production?

 

If not, I would demand a refund!

[ShakyBeef]

It's a long-standing tradition on the RCI boards to denigrate the onboard production version of Cats .😜

[SERK]

I do find most of the band entertainment enjoyable and fun.  Especially on the ships where they are playing next to the Alchemy Bar. 😀 

[dmet0225]

I have generally enjoyed all of the piano bars on my previous cruises - except one.   I made a point to memorialize the guy’s name for my own future reference, if he ever was afforded the opportunity to get on another cruise on which I was a passenger.   I had never seen a less engaged audience than that particular cruise, as it seemed as if he mostly played songs for himself, because it was as if most of the audience never heard the songs that he played.

[renebfl]

I went to a real good piano bar a few years back and I thought they would all be as good.  It was  a place we went every night.  I was on Pride last  year and was so disappointed.   Going on Valor next week. Hope its a good one.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

On the Liberty a couple of weeks ago, I never saw the Piano Bar open - four straight nights.

 

Tom

[slavigne5577]

Over the years we have experienced different vibes in the piano bar. Even with the same piano player. Sometimes even the best piano bar player is limited to the majority. On our last cruise we were so happy to find one of our favorites, but unfortunately there were too many requests for music we did not care for. We are not a fan of popular teenager music. So we just found somthing else to do.

[ShakyBeef]

I miss Roger Concepcion!  (on Pride for many years)   The guy on Elation in January 2020 (I don't remember his name) sucked.  I hope we have a good Piano Bar player on Legend in March. 

[dmet0225]

2 hours ago, renebfl said:

I went to a real good piano bar a few years back and I thought they would all be as good.  It was  a place we went every night.  I was on Pride last  year and was so disappointed.   Going on Valor next week. Hope its a good one.

I have always thought the same, that they’d all be great fun.   I was sorely disappointed on a few of them.

[satxdiver]

On 11/19/2022 at 8:19 PM, hillbillycruisers said:

My wife and I was on the Vista last week, and we were extremely disappointed in the piano bar. It was dark...dull...and not fun at all. On our previous cruise a couple years ago on the Dream, we loved the piano bar. It was fun...lively...full of crowd interaction...and the piano player was a hoot. We were expecting the same on the Vista, but it was nothing close. It was somber at best.. My question for all you veteran cruisers... how is the piano bar experience on most ships? We are back on the Dream on January, and are hoping it hasn't changed. 

I have sailed on the Vista twice now and will be boarding her again on Saturday.  Previous I have sailed on the Dream, Magic and Breeze and I agree that the piano bar is a dungeon closed in and dark much like the comedy dungeon on the deck below with its low ceiling and no windows.  Luckily the last two cruises the piano player was lively but the closed in dungeon feeling takes away from it.  The other ships have a more open piano bar with more seating.  I will probably be spending most of my evenings in the Ocean Plaza listening to the band.  

[grimpil]

On 11/19/2022 at 9:30 PM, 80sGal said:

Sunrise and Horizon between August 21 and October 22 were both great!  I can't remember names but Horizon last summer had a piano player who was a blast -- floppy hat, boisterous,  jokes, talent.   Sunrise over the holidays was still very good -- guest interaction, jokes, overall good time.   Horizon this summer was also good.  Each performer offered a unique spin on what a piano bar should be like.  The Pride, on the other hand, well I feel your pain.   It was sad songs, slow songs, lackluster.  She was actually talented.  Saw her with Playlist ... she could play.  But she had no idea how to entertain a piano bar crowd.   So I guess my point is, you never know what you'll get.  

Really? I found her (Tatsu) to be one of the more memorable performers. Not as raunchy or bawdy than some. Certainly had the best voice of any PB entertainers I have seen. She could also handle the  impaired with tact. Yes, she did have a number of melancholy songs on her list but did not find that lackluster. 

[Laurab23]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:06 PM, ShakyBeef said:

I miss Roger Concepcion!  (on Pride for many years)   The guy on Elation in January 2020 (I don't remember his name) sucked.  I hope we have a good Piano Bar player on Legend in March. 

Roger was amazing! We sat next to people in the Piano Bar who quickly became friends with him when he found out they were NY performers. The husband played the piano while his wife sang the song from The Bodyguard. So good, it gave me chills. Will never forget it.

 

Laura

[Knights on the Beach]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:06 PM, ShakyBeef said:

I miss Roger Concepcion!  (on Pride for many years)   The guy on Elation in January 2020 (I don't remember his name) sucked.  I hope we have a good Piano Bar player on Legend in March. 

 

Roger was on Mardi Gras last month and he was awesome - very entertaining!

[CruizinSusan70]

On 1/7/2023 at 2:08 PM, dugknight said:

Sorry if this was already discussed

Duplicate 

Edited January 17, 2023 by CruizinSusan70

[bayoubabe516]

We thought Eden on the Celebration was HORRIBLE.  All he did was beg for big tips and toot his own horn.  We stayed about 30 minutes and left to never return, 

[Saint Greg]

On 1/8/2023 at 3:06 PM, ShakyBeef said:

I miss Roger Concepcion!  (on Pride for many years)   The guy on Elation in January 2020 (I don't remember his name) sucked.  I hope we have a good Piano Bar player on Legend in March. 

He’s still around. He just got off Mardi Gras last week and will be on Freedom March till mid-May.

[Guest BasicSailor]

Keep your eyes and ears open for Eli Jaxson. One of our favorites.

Edited January 18, 2023 by BasicSailor

[hurricane0226]

Miss Billy Joel in the Piano bar, wish he would come back.

[Saint Greg]

10 hours ago, BasicSailor said:

Keep your eyes and ears open for Eli Jaxson. One of our favorites.

pride through april

 

[staceyglow]

My biggest beef with the piano bars is that because the venue is so intimate, it is really easy for a few cruisers to take the whole place over. I have been on cruises where the same 8-10 people show up before it opens every night, take all of the good spots around the piano, fill up and submit a bunch of request sheets right away, and otherwise monopolize the  bar for most of the evening. One my most recent cruise, they were holdovers from a B2B.  I can't really blame the musician, because he is getting tipped, but once in awhile it would be nice if he said, "I will get to your other 15 Billy Joel song requests in a bit, Larry from Houston, but first I am going to play a song for Stacey from Las Vegas in the back there". 

[Hoosierpop]

23 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

My biggest beef with the piano bars is that because the venue is so intimate, it is really easy for a few cruisers to take the whole place over. I have been on cruises where the same 8-10 people show up before it opens every night, take all of the good spots around the piano, fill up and submit a bunch of request sheets right away, and otherwise monopolize the  bar for most of the evening. One my most recent cruise, they were holdovers from a B2B.  I can't really blame the musician, because he is getting tipped, but once in awhile it would be nice if he said, "I will get to your other 15 Billy Joel song requests in a bit, Larry from Houston, but first I am going to play a song for Stacey from Las Vegas in the back there". 

There are Definitely piano bar cliques. The first time I went to one, the dude played that Alice song. I mentioned I had never heard the song before and the people around me thought I had 2 heads. I said, well, in my defense, the song is terrible. Based on the looks I got,  knew at that moment piano bar would not be for me. 

[staceyglow]

5 minutes ago, Hoosierpop said:

There are Definitely piano bar cliques. The first time I went to one, the dude played that Alice song. I mentioned I had never heard the song before and the people around me thought I had 2 heads. I said, well, in my defense, the song is terrible. Based on the looks I got,  knew at that moment piano bar would not be for me. 

LOL I am old enough to remember when that "Alice" song was a hit on the radio. I had never heard of the singalong version with the raunchy lyrics until I was at a beer festival in Germany last year. The polka band was playing it, and every German, regardless of their command of English, was singing along to it! 

[CruizinSusan70]

56 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

My biggest beef with the piano bars is that because the venue is so intimate, it is really easy for a few cruisers to take the whole place over. I have been on cruises where the same 8-10 people show up before it opens every night, take all of the good spots around the piano, fill up and submit a bunch of request sheets right away, and otherwise monopolize the  bar for most of the evening. One my most recent cruise, they were holdovers from a B2B.  I can't really blame the musician, because he is getting tipped, but once in awhile it would be nice if he said, "I will get to your other 15 Billy Joel song requests in a bit, Larry from Houston, but first I am going to play a song for Stacey from Las Vegas in the back there". 

Easy solution...only do B2B's so you can be the monopolizer. 😉😉😉

[grimpil]

3 hours ago, staceyglow said:

LOL I am old enough to remember when that "Alice" song was a hit on the radio. I had never heard of the singalong version with the raunchy lyrics until I was at a beer festival in Germany last year. The polka band was playing it, and every German, regardless of their command of English, was singing along to it! 

Are you guys talking about "Alice's Restaurant"... Arlo Guthrie?